Aotian calmly observed the stunned boy, and his gaze shifted slightly to the necklace hidden under the boy's collar before returning to his face.
"Enter," he ordered simply.
There was a smile on his mouth that did not reach his eyes. He still remembered how, during their first meeting, the boy had stared at his wife as if hypnotized, something that greatly displeased him.
Of course, there had been more people in the crowd of that city who had done the same, and he couldn't just slaughter everyone because of it, even if he truly had the desire to do so.
But that boy was not like the others. After all, according to what he had discovered back then, the boy was some kind of Lucky Son. If Aotian had acted wrongly at that moment and made him an enemy, he could have killed all of his avatars in that city, including Bao Wuji.
So Aotian was extremely cautious with someone like that—a person who had looked at his wife wrongly. Nothing was more terrifying than a potential protagonist laying eyes on someone else's woman.
He had never confirmed with certainty what the boy's real danger was, aside from the fact that it was caused by the necklace, since the boy only had a tattered storage pouch that couldn't contain powerful treasures, and the necklace was what stood out the most. And with the Missions Pavilion, he had already confirmed that it truly was the necklace.
And using Bao Wuji nowadays, he was certain that whatever it was, the necklace was above a Void-Tier artifact.
He just couldn't say exactly which Tier it was, since he had never seen any kind of artifact or material above that Tier for comparison. The treasure radar only showed a different point without explaining what it was, and Aotian needed to explore and compare with other items.
At the moment, he was only certain that it was an artifact and not something else, because he already recognized that symbol from the radar.
Although it worked more by instinct than actual shapes, this mental treasure map obtained through the treasure radar ability, if described more simply, would be something like artifacts being represented by a sword symbol, and the color of that symbol indicating the Tier. Only, this time the color was red, and Aotian had never seen that color before.
The highest color he had ever seen was purple — the mark of Void-Tier. He recognized it because he had once witnessed the Transcendent Sky-Lotus of that tier, which shone in the same hue, though adorned with a flower symbol that represented medicinal herbs.
Of course, there were no such symbols or colors in reality; it was more of an impression or instinct of where things were located than an actual drawn map.
In any case, knowing that the opponent possessed such a treasure would normally make him very cautious, but with his own growth and that of the sect, his trump cards had increased. Using the Danger Intuition ability from the Missions Pavilion, he could discover much more and know how to deal with those two people.
Yes, two people, because with the constant exploration of mission danger levels in various situations, Aotian was already 90% certain that there was someone hidden inside that necklace.
Hearing the request—which sounded more like an order—to enter, Shen He, who snapped out of his daze, clenched his fists and looked cautiously.
Old Liu inside the necklace was also alert to everything around, but his gaze always fell on the girl, who appeared well and healthy, merely confused by the reason Aotian had called that person there.
Taking a deep breath, Shen He finally calmed himself and clenched his fists, greeting the couple politely.
"Daoist companions, perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. I fear we do not know each other," he spoke with an apologetic look, trying to lessen suspicion, but the boy's next sentence silenced him immediately.
"I told you to enter," Aotian spoke harshly, losing the smile and keeping only a cold look on his face.
Rihai was stunned, having never seen Aotian treat someone like that before, but she swallowed the words she was about to say and remained silent, supporting her husband while trying to understand the cause of such a reaction.
Shen He lowered his hands and discreetly clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white inside his sleeves.
He hated being ordered around like that as if he were nothing, especially by enemies. But the worst part was that he probably already foresaw the outcome of what was about to happen… there were high chances he would lose his master sooner than expected.
["Shen He, go in. What must be, must be. Do not cling to vengeance or hesitation, losing sight of what is important. Stand firm, my disciple. This is my last request as your master."]
Old Liu's voice echoed in the young man's mind, making his eyes redden and his teeth clench.
It was obvious that his master also knew that the final confrontation was likely about to begin. And he was neither afraid nor resentful of that. In fact, it could even be for the best, since the couple being in that stadium meant there would be fewer enemies than if it were in the heart of that sect.
Taking a deep breath, letting go of hesitation, Shen He entered with firm steps into the room, suppressing his emotions as he looked directly into Aotian's eyes.
Upon crossing the doorway, he closed the door behind him, without taking his eyes off the couple and the air around them, where the bodyguards his master had mentioned should be.
Rihai became even more confused upon seeing the boy's actions—he seemed on the verge of crying moments before, and now he had swallowed his emotions.
Aotian simply stared at him with a raised eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Sit," he ordered again, but this time the boy remained standing, staring at him darkly and silently.
The two stared at each other for a moment, until a mocking smile suddenly appeared on Aotian's lips as he rose from his seat. He stood at his full 6'3", broad-shouldered and towering over Shen He, who was about 5'9".
At no moment did his eyes leave the other's, and then Aotian mocked:
"It's good that you only dare stare at me, because I guarantee you—if you had dared to place your filthy eyes on my wife like you did on Black Rock Mountain back then, I would have ripped them out and burned your soul afterward as a lesson for disrespecting others," he spoke seriously, with a trace of cruelty, his black eyes seeming to turn crimson for an instant. "I guarantee you that whoever is hiding inside your necklace would not be able to save you from me if you had done that."
As his words fell, the atmosphere in the room became freezing and suffocating.
Rihai furrowed her brows upon hearing that. As a slightly antisocial girl, she hated being stared at by others, but she couldn't control or kill anyone who looked at her.
So she now already had a terrible opinion of Shen He after Aotian exposed him, although she was secretly a little happy to feel her husband's care and jealousy for her.
But when she heard about the necklace, she was startled and quickly looked at the boy's neck, seeing only a small part of the chain exposed at his collar. Strangely, she couldn't help but feel a faint sense of familiarity from those links.
'I've seen this before?'
While Rihai had such doubts, the reactions of Shen He and Elder Liu were far more intense.
'He knows?! How?! Master, he seems confident that you can't do anything! Should we retreat?'
Shen He, who had already been embarrassed about being exposed for having stared at the girl in the past, turned completely pale at the final part and frantically asked his master what to do.
["Xiao He, compose yourself!"]
Elder Liu shouted.
["We cannot confirm whether his strength is real, it's likely just a bluff, because I am certain there are no Ninth-Stage Tribulation Transcendents here—those are the only ones who could stop me if I burn my soul..."]
["We already knew before that they probably knew about me through some method. Do not panic, your master before falling was considered the strongest cultivator in the world, and few can even attempt to challenge me when I go all out."]
He quickly warned with confidence, while remaining ready to act at any moment.
His logical words quickly took effect, calming the boy down.
Taking a deep breath, he composed himself.
"I am sorry for having disrespected you back then, it was not my intention."
He first spoke sincerely, quickly shifting his gaze to Rihai, who looked at him darkly, making him sigh inwardly at such a problem.
"But my master and I want to help you get rid of trouble, without any ulterior motives, so I ask that you listen to me."
He then revealed, cautiously turning his eyes back to Long Aotian at the end.
Both Aotian and Rihai were surprised by such a statement.
"Help me? What are you talking about?"
She asked in confusion, while her husband didn't rush to act, trying to understand the issue.
Aotian already knew that this boy and the person in the necklace had a huge problem and were enemies of his sect, because ever since he saw him in the city with one of his avatars, and since he later discovered that he was waiting for the recruitment to try to enter the sect, Aotian had been creating missions to understand the risks.
And both letting him enter and preventing him from entering generated dangerous-grade missions, which was why he chose to confront him now—because his trump card was already prepared at his side.
But despite everything, he still didn't know the reason for the boy's enmity toward his sect.
Shen He's eyes sharpened at Rihai's question.
"Because of your Divine Physique! You must understand that such a physique is extremely coveted, and perhaps the Infinite Dao Sect also desires it and hasn't acted yet only because they don't possess a Silent Cadaver Orchid. If they obtain one, they will kill you to use the Orchid."
He spoke quickly and intensely.
"And even if they aren't like that, the news will one day leak, and when it does, the entire central continent will try anything to kill you and retrieve your body, including destroying the Infinite Dao Sect you belong to. If you want to avoid such a fate, only by coming with me can you be saved!"
His voice rose the more he spoke, and both Aotian and Rihai widened their eyes upon hearing that.
Neither of them knew such a thing. Her father had only warned her never to reveal her physique to anyone because it was extremely dangerous, but didn't explain the reason beyond saying it was coveted.
Rihai grew even more panicked. She didn't know how the boy discovered her Divine Physique when the heavens usually concealed it. Others would normally think she possessed some concealment artifact, and if someone had probed deeply to discover it, she would have felt it—even if it had been her father, who was the strongest cultivator in the world at the time.
But now, the secret she had always guarded and struggled to reveal in the most discreet way possible to her beloved was simply shouted out by the boy right there, leaving her panicked, helpless, and irritated.
The couple quickly exchanged glances, surprised by the information, before turning their eyes back to Shen He.
Seeing the couple's confusion and shock, Shen He became hopeful.
If he could convince them to let her go willingly, perhaps his master wouldn't have to burn his soul for a desperate escape.
But suddenly a bucket of cold water was dumped over his head.
"What qualifications do you have to say that only by going with you my wife can be saved?!"
Aotian questioned angrily, wondering if he should beat the boy and imprison him immediately.
His question was met with a cold look from Shen He.
"I may indeed lack such qualifications. But my master has them. He is a member of the most powerful family in the central continent. And the patriarch of this family also possesses divine roots. He is the only person who can protect her in this world without growing greedy over her physique."
He spoke firmly.
But as his words fell, the couple's expressions grew stranger and stranger.
"You… You're not talking about the Liu family, are you?!"
Aotian asked oddly, remembering that his wife's family fit those criteria perfectly.
Rihai was also confused, her mind spinning with so many twists.
Shen He, with a cold, determined, and proud expression, nodded firmly.
"Yes, there should be no other family that dares to call itself Liu in the central continent. It will be easier if you know them. The reputation of Patriarch Liu is impeccable, as is his just character."
He stated, praising the man he had never met, hoping to reassure the two.
Aotian's mouth twitched at the confirmation.
"So it seems you intend to harm me instead of help."
Rihai said suddenly, with a dejected look.
"The patriarch of the Liu family fell a little over ten years ago. He can't help me anymore…"
As soon as her words were spoken, it was Shen He's turn to widen his eyes and turn pale.
"What did you just say?!!"
A roar suddenly shook the room, startling the three.
Beside Shen He, a slightly transparent old man with fiery red hair and beard glared at Rihai with dark eyes, his powerful and suffocating aura beginning to fill the environment.
But the girl, upon looking at the old man, felt her jaw drop in shock at the familiar figure.
"G-G-Great-grandfather?!!"
She blurted out.
And with her words, completely breaking the tense atmosphere in the room, three different reactions echoed there.
"Huh?!" "Eh?!" "What?!"